The used Lexus IS to go for is a 2nd Gen IS250 petrol automatic that idles smoothly from cold, as its V6 can clog its intake valves with carbon; skip the IS220d diesel and its known head gasket failure.
3 known faults, 2 rated high severity in our database; owners report 40.5 mpg, 94% of the official figure. Everything below is built from that data and the archived owner history, not from a press car.
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Check a Lexus IS advert (free) →Go for a 2nd Gen IS250 (2005 to 2013) with the petrol V6 and the automatic gearbox, and treat it as the lesser risk rather than a clean one. Its direct injection lets carbon collect on the intake valves, usually between 60,000 and 100,000 miles, and that shows as a rough cold idle, hesitation or a misfire. The V6 and the manual gearbox aren't a happy pairing, so the auto's the one to have.
The IS220d diesel from the same generation is the one to avoid. Its 2.2 engine has a design flaw that builds up carbon and pressure until the head gasket gives way, typically between 60,000 and 120,000 miles, with coolant spraying round the engine bay, overheating, oil use and white smoke. Owner reports back this up, from white smoke on a 2006 car to a failed gasket at 135,000 miles on a 2009 one.
The original IS (1999 to 2005) carries a serious suspension fault on the IS200: its front lower ball joints can fail completely between 80,000 and 140,000 miles, dropping the front wheel into the arch. Ask for receipts showing the ball joints have been renewed, and don't buy one that creaks or clunks at the front. Manual IS200s also drew complaints of clutch judder that new clutches didn't cure, so test the clutch and gearbox carefully.
There's little on record for the IS300h hybrid sold from 2013, and that isn't the same as a clean record, so don't read the lack of known faults as proof it's the safest IS. One owner's 2014 car wouldn't restart for a quarter of an hour after a long run, with the dash blaming the hybrid battery, and another found the colour rubbed off the leather seat bolsters by 11,700 miles.
The IS250's 2.5 V6 petrol with the automatic is the lesser risk of the 2nd Gen engines, but it isn't trouble-free: carbon builds up on its intake valves between 60,000 and 100,000 miles, and the warning signs are a lumpy cold idle, hesitation, a misfire or the VSC light. It's chain driven with no scheduled replacement, so there's no belt change to plan for.
Avoid the IS220d. Beyond the head gasket fault, one report says its DPF regeneration can overfuel the engine and harm the piston rings and cylinder bores, and one owner's 2009 car went into limp mode with a blocked DPF after a string of short trips. Early 220d cars drew complaints about odd gearing, and the diesel can stall if you restart it soon after a brief cold journey.
On the original IS, the IS200 needs revving before it feels quick enough, and the automatic can be slow to respond. Manuals drew complaints of clutch judder that carried on through replacement clutches and could go on to hurt the gearbox. One owner reported that 2000 to 2003 Toyota and Lexus automatics can suffer an ECU fault that brings harsh changes and eventually wrecks the gearbox.
The IS300h hybrid has no known faults on record, but that's a thin file rather than a clean bill of health. One owner was told the rear differential fluid wants changing every 20,000 miles and the CVT fluid every 40,000 miles, while his dealer said it didn't do either on that schedule, so ask exactly which fluid changes have been done.
Look hard at the rear brakes on a 2nd Gen car: the rear callipers can seize and need replacing within 2 years. One owner's 2006 IS250 at 90,000 miles needed calliper work every 2 years, so ask for receipts for any calliper jobs and feel for a dragging brake on the test drive. Owners have complained of rattles from the doors, dashboard and speakers, so don't turn the radio on until you've listened for them.
Try every window, the central locking and the boot release. One owner's 2008 IS250 kept lowering its windows after moisture got into the ECU that runs the locks and windows, and a 2009 IS220d's boot and windows opened by themselves with the same ECU suspected. One owner reported keyfobs on older IS250s turning intermittent, and another's touchscreen died at 120,000 miles, taking the sat nav, climate and audio controls with it.
On an IS220d, look for white exhaust smoke, coolant spray in the engine bay or signs of overheating, and ask for proof of any head or gasket work. Under an IS250, check the exhaust front pipes, which can rot through and carry the lambda sensors and catalyst. On an original IS200, listen for creaks when turning and clunks over bumps from the front suspension, and check the inner edges of the front tyres for wear.
Ask for proof of recall work. Recalls fixed the brake master cylinder on IS models from 2003 to 2005, replaced front seat belts in 2006, replaced IS250 fuel pipes leaking into the engine bay in 2007, modified IS250 fuel systems in 2011 and dealt with a fuel sensor on the IS in 2015. Separately, one owner's 8 year old IS220d had its brake master cylinder fail, and the car had to be stopped on the gears and handbrake.
Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.
Only buy an IS200 with receipts showing the front lower ball joints have been renewed, because they're logged as a serious fault: they can fail between 80,000 and 140,000 miles and let the front wheel drop into the arch. Creaks from the front as you turn, clunks over bumps or steering that wanders are the warning signs. It also needs revving to feel lively, and the automatic can be slow to react.
Six-speed manual IS200s have had clutch judder that new clutches didn't fix, and it can go on to hurt the gearbox, so pull away from a standstill several times on the drive. One owner reported an ECU fault on 2000 to 2003 automatics that brings rough changes and eventually breaks the gearbox. Unlike the later V6, its six-cylinder runs a timing belt, so ask for the receipts for it.
Front tyres wear quickly for a rear-drive car: soft front suspension bushes deteriorate, so the wheels toe out once you're moving even when the static alignment looks right, and the inner edges scrub away. Bigger aftermarket wheels make it worse. Alloys have pitted from road salt, with many replaced under warranty, radios on independent imports are worth testing, and there's a brake master cylinder recall on 2003 to 2005 cars to ask about.
Real-world economy on this generation: Lexus IS 35.3 mpg.
Yes, as an IS250 petrol automatic with a smooth cold idle, but not as an IS220d. The diesel's head gasket fault shows up between 60,000 and 120,000 miles, and Lexus once stretched the warranty on the 220d's cylinder head and gasket to 7 years, which tells you how real the problem was. An IS220d without receipts for head work is a gamble.
If ride comfort matters, favour a car from before 2010, because from then the IS rode on larger wheels with thinner tyres, which don't suit a buyer who puts ride and refinement first. The V6 still wants checking for intake carbon between 60,000 and 100,000 miles, and its exhaust front pipes can rot through, taking the lambda sensors and the catalyst with them.
Beyond the engines, this generation's rear callipers can seize within 2 years, so check the rear brakes aren't binding and ask what's been done to them. One owner found the airbag warning light on in an IS250C was down to a sensor part that wasn't available in the UK, and the dealer had to source it in Europe. Make sure the locks, windows and boot release all behave before you buy.
Real-world economy on this generation: Lexus IS 35.3 mpg, Lexus IS 47.7 mpg.
An IS300h 3rd Gen is a reasonable buy on the evidence there is, since no known fault is on record against it, though that's a thin file rather than proof it's faultless. It earned a five-star Euro NCAP rating. It isn't the sharpest thing to drive, and the infotainment controller is clumsy enough that you should try it properly before you commit.
One owner's 2014 car, bought with 41,000 miles on it, wouldn't start after a long drive and an hour's stop, with the dash blaming the hybrid battery; it fired up 15 minutes later, then its lights failed on the way home. Ask which rear differential and CVT fluid changes have been done, and look at the seat bolsters, as one car's leather lost its colour by 11,700 miles.
Sellers rarely admit these faults outright
Paste any Lexus IS advert and we check it against the faults, the MOT record and these figures in seconds.
Check an advert now (free) →Owners report 40.5 mpg across the Lexus IS engines with data, about 94% of the official figure, from 913 submissions.
Lexus IS Real MPG by engine →The IS is a good-looking car, and that's as true of the cabin as it is of the outside, so it's as pleasant to sit in as it is to look at. On the IS300h the economy's respectable, and there's a feel-good factor to running a hybrid.
Lexus customer service is great, and that counts on a car of this age, when it'll be going back for servicing, recall checks and the odd fault over the years you own it. It's the side of ownership that makes an IS easy to live with once it's on your drive.
The used Lexus IS to go for is a 2nd Gen IS250 petrol automatic that idles smoothly from cold, as its V6 can clog its intake valves with carbon; skip the IS220d diesel and its known head gasket failure. Our database holds 3 known Lexus IS faults, 2 rated high severity, and the sections above say which generation and engine carry them.
Go for a 2nd Gen IS250 (2005 to 2013) with the petrol V6 and the automatic gearbox, and treat it as the lesser risk rather than a clean one. On the fault record the 3rd Gen (XE30) (2013 to 2020) carries no known faults against 2 on the 2nd Gen (2005 to 2013). Each generation's section above gives the detail. Lexus IS faults by generation.
Look hard at the rear brakes on a 2nd Gen car: the rear callipers can seize and need replacing within 2 years. Read the MOT history for repeat advisories and ask for invoices for any work the seller mentions. Then paste the advert into the free check, which reads it against every known Lexus IS fault before you travel.
Owners report 40.5 mpg on average, about 94% of the official figure, from 913 submissions. Chain (IS250, IS 250, GS250, GS 250, 4GR-FSE): no fixed replacement interval, so budget for it if the history does not show it done. The known faults page lists a rough repair cost against each fault. Lexus IS Real MPG by engine.
If you used the Honest John car-by-car reviews before the site closed in 2026, this is where the Lexus IS buying advice now lives. It is written from the archived owner reports and model notes (archived page, 54 items read for this model), our own known-faults database, the confirmed service intervals and the Real MPG figures. Every number on the page comes from that data, not from the text. The same data feeds our free advert check.
CarAdCheck is not affiliated with Honest John or Volkswagen Financial Services. What happened to Honest John, and where each feature lives now.
The Lexus IS is one decision. Reading the advert, the history and the seller are the rest, and these cover them.
Looking at a Lexus IS right now? Check the advert before you go and see it.